Chapter 57: The Rose, Azalea, and Luna Flower

Laurel gathered herself and the invitation samples and left the parlor. Based on the time, she was due to meet the Imperial Tailor to be fitted for her gown. She had never met the Imperial Tailor when she was Laura, but she’d heard about the woman from Basil.
She fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist and tried to focus on the things she had to get done for the rest of the day. As she neared the parlor, she heard feminine laughter and froze. She lifted her head and approached the door slowly before knocking.
“Come on in!” A bright voice called. She entered a bit hesitantly and gasped as she saw the group of women. They were all dressed as nobles, smiling at each other. She recognized some of them for her life as Laura, but not all of them.
The oldest of them approached her with a warm smile, “Well, aren’t you a lovely young woman!”
“Hello,” she curtsied. “A pleasure to meet you…”
“I’m Raven, Adolph’s elder sister.”
Laurel’s eyes widened and she froze. *Sister?*
Raven laughed, a light tinkling sound as she led Laurel over to the tailor’s stand.
“No need to be alarmed, dear. It’s tradition! Up you go.” Laurel stepped onto the tailor’s step to look into the mirror.
“The rest of these rascals,” she said affectionately, slanting a glance to the women nearby. “Are cousins. The current Imperial Tailor is a dear friend of the family. She made Adolph’s coronation suit, so it’s only right that she makes your wedding and coronation gown.”
Laurel swallowed thickly. She hadn’t considered that it would also be her coronation. She looked into the mirror and across the group of women who seemed to be beaming at her before looking back at Raven.
“He… never mentioned any of this.”
Raven smiled, “Well, to be fair, he doesn’t know all of the traditions of the Raymond family! He didn’t get to go through any of this with Olivia.”
Her word shook her and she remained silent as Raven explained that the eldest woman of the family was supposed to help plan the king’s wedding if he got married while on the throne. There were special things that had to be done if he was marrying his mate, which was why they were all there instead of just Raven.
“We’re here to answer all of the questions you could have. “
“H-How do you know we’re mates?”
Raven smiled, lifting Laurel’s hand so the ring caught in the light.
“My little brother, fearsome as he is, is a romantic at heart. He wouldn’t have given you this ring you weren’t.”
“Is the ring special?”
“It was our mother’s,” Raven said loftily. “Olivia pinned away for the day Adolph would give it to her, but my brother wouldn’t have pulled it out of his vault if he wasn’t sure.”
She had thought that Adolph’s parents had married for politics, but Raven told her that Adolph’s father had wooed his mate and luna for several months before they were even considered courting.
“You could say mother was a bit resistant to marrying a future king, but father was persistent.” Raven shrugged, “Thus, here we are.”
Laurel considered the story over as the tailor, June, stepped up to measure her with a kind smile. She listened to the chatter of them around her and found herself relaxing. The last time she’d been measured had been incredibly stressful. The woman had been critical and outright mean to her, but June smiled and chatted with her as she took down her measurements.
The rest of the women were just as kind, asking her about where she grew up and how she’d settled into the castle so far. It was odd. She hadn’t known that Basil had any other living family. He hadn’t acknowledged them at any of the noble gatherings.
When June was done, she left and tea service was brought in for them as Raven pulled out a list.
“Let’s see here… the bouquet… I know the garden is in immaculate condition,” Raven chuckled. “I was told that Basil’s late wife ran a tight ship.”
Irene, one of Adolph’s cousins, rolled her eyes, “I don’t understand what he was thinking with his new wife…”
“She’s his mate, isn’t she?”
“That’s what he said, but they don’t act like it,” Irene shrugged.
“It’s hard to understand the minds of men,” Raven said seriously. “Even Adolph is an enigma to me most days, and I’ve known him all of our lives!”
Laurel laughed as Raven hummed, “In any case, the bouquet, dear. Adolph may be certain that you are his mate, but what are your thoughts?”
Laurel felt her face heat, “Is… that a normal question to ask?”
“It’s important.”
“We are.”
Raven tilted her head, “Has he marked you yet?”
Laurel ducked her head nodding. She pulled her hair aside and Raven hummed thoughtfully. Irene grinned, giving her a playful leer.
“I see that dear cousin is his father’s son.”
Laurel ducked her head, covering her face. Her face burned with embarrassment and she wasn’t even sure why.
“Don’t tease her!” Raven chuckled. “That’s my job. In any case, roses are necessary.”
Laurel flinched, “Do they… have to be in the bouquet?”
She frowned, “You have something against roses?”
“I just… I don’t want a bouquet that looks like his late wife’s…” She averted her gaze. “Honestly, I’ve had enough of being compared to her to last a lifetime.”
She worried her lip. Delia had a bunch of roses. She could only imagine that Olivia’s bouquet had been full of roses.
“Well, I suppose we go easy on the roses if you want…” Raven said. “Though… I think it wouldn’t be exactly true to the situation.”
“Oh, Rae’! Let the girl have fewer roses, at least we get to use azaleas and lunar flowers. Can we celebrate that?”
Raven sighed, looking rather put out, “Well… I suppose.”
Laurel looked between them, “Is there… a difference?”
“Of course!” Raven blinked, “You didn’t think the roses meant nothing, did you?”
“… I was told they were her favorite flower.”
Raven and Irene blinked before they burst into laughter, “Oh, sweetheart! That might be true, but that has nothing to do with the arrangements!”
Laurel frowned as Raven shook her head, “Red roses, in the Raymond family’s traditions, are symbols of everlasting love. The number of them is based on the relationship before the marriage. A mate, at minimum, needs seven red roses.”
She thought back to Delia’s bouquet, which had been all red roses. Laura’s bouquet had been mostly plain white flowers and four roses.
“Four roses are the minimum in any arrangement no matter if it’s the king or the prince.” Raven shrugged, “But the prince’s weddings are less important to the tradition than the king getting married, so we don’t tend to get involved with the prince’s wedding other than to attend and make sure the priest is present.
“Lunar flowers are symbols of being blessed by the moon goddess. They are required for mate weddings as well. Seven minimum. The red azalea shows the fidelity and strength of the couple, as their strength will be the strength of the kingdom. Seven minimum.”
She hadn’t thought there was so much meaning behind something so simple.
“Having heard dear cousin speak about you,” Irene started and winked at her, “I think we’ll go for the full nine on all fronts.”
Laurel fiddled with her sleeve, “I’m not… too sure about that... At least the roses… I think.”
Raven leaned forward and took her hand, “I’m not sure what you’ve heard about my brother and Olivia, but let me tell you this.”
She met her gaze cautiously. They were the same clear and honest blue as Adolph’s when he was speaking to her.
“When we came to help with the wedding, he refused.” Laurel gasped. She had never imagined that was the case. “They had a grand wedding all according to the Mirabelle way of doing things, but Adolph made it clear that his marriage to Olivia was just one of convenience: easily made and easily broken.”
Raven squeezed her hand, “He’s asked for every due respect for your marriage, Laurel. It’s been an act of a united front to keep him from overwhelming you.”
“Overwhelming you?”
“My brother is hopeless.” Raven sighed. “Father stole all the charisma and easy debonair charm from the gene pool leaving good looks, a good heart, and a warrior instinct for Adolph…. I’m not sure what was left to my nephew.”
“All Mirabelle that one,” Irene said, earning a peal of laughter. “On the inside anyway.”
“He means well, but he doesn’t have much practice wooing anyone,” Raven smiled, “He does love you, dearly. I’ve never seen him so happy as when he talks about you… Not since we were kids.”
Laurel blinked back her tears, but she couldn’t fight them all. She wiped her face quickly.
“We’ll settle on seven all around for now,” Raven said, “But I think with time, you’ll find that it should have been more.”